Staying on top of the news, sports, entertainment, and politics is a challenge. It all comes at you in a frenetic pace and can feel like a chore keeping up. Luckily, you don’t have to sift through the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, NY Post, magazines, and online publications while watching CNN. You can now keep up with some iPhone and iPad apps that wrap all these newspaper stories together in a few cool apps. Instead of battling the paper and time, you can simply scroll down for the categories you’re looking for.
I’ve reviewed a slew of new apps and have picked the top 3 based on ease of iPhone setup or iPad setup for the app; integration of all news sources, not just online news, and ease of interface and categories to peruse articles. Best of all, the top 3 list is all free. What’s not to love about that?
Here are the top 3 news apps you should check out:
- Pulse – Choose your publication, magazine, or newspaper and get all the updated news in a neatly organized tiled system. This is my favorite since it’s so easy to jump to the news you want and to read it quickly. You can select The New Yorker, ESPN, NBC News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Spin Magazine, Forbes, and more.
- Zite – Great interface for viewing top stories, business, celeb gossip, travel and more. You are up and running in no time with this app. Resources include major newspapers, publications, and online sites.
- Flipboard – This innovative design prompts you to “flip” or slide your finger from bottom to top or vice versa to catch the latest stories. It feels like using a Windows phone with it’s box-like previews. I really like how you can search by section (i.e. News, Sports, Business) or by source (i.e. USA Today, Fox News, Time). The flipping back and forth is not for everyone as it may frustrate before getting used to the swiping.
A notable app that didn’t make the list is NetNewsWire. It is a good free app to sync between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac support. But, it loses appeal by only really offering online RSS feeds versus the ability to pick from mags, publications, and newspapers like the above top 3 list.
One news app, Reeder, that has gotten pretty good reviews is a total bust. At $3, it’s a total rip-off. You have to find your own online articles to read and is already buggy when trying to set up a new account. I wasn’t able to! Plus, it’s draw is its “readability,” or it’s special design to minimalize clunky web page for easy viewing. Guess what? It’s not yet available for the iPhone! It’s other draw is how you can sync it with your account on your iPhone, iPad, or computer so you don’t re-read the same article. That would be cool if I could get that far! Stay away from Reeder.
The setup of these top 3 apps are easy and doesn’t require computer support expertise or iPhone repair support knowledge. They’re free and easy to download by following the provided links above.